Grand River Dam Authority Police Department |
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EMERGENCY 911 GRDA Police 918-256-0911
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Police Get New
Air Ride
The advantages of having an air boat on the Illinois River prompted the recent addition of an 18-foot air boat to our fleet of vessels. The air-drive boat was purchased from Diamondback, Inc. in Coco Florida, and Lieutenants Tyler Cooper and Paul Mader made the trip to get the vessel and attend four days of training in March to learn about the operation of the air boat that included instruction in wet and dry launch and recovery, basic operations of the airboat, maintenance, crew and passenger safety.
The air boat is custom designed by Diamondback for search & rescue and medical response. It is powered by an LS 550 HP motor to ensure there is adequate power for operating in both water as well as on land. The vessel is longer and has a wider beam than most air boats to add stability, making it safer to operate in tight conditions. The boat is designed to seat six and is large enough to allow multiple responders and victims to be transported, plus provides the room needed for the immediate treatment of injured victims in the vessel during transport.
One of the biggest advantages in the use of the air boat is greater speed and improved response times for emergencies and rescues. Quick response equates to more lives saved. While the jet-drive boat police have operated on the river is effective, it has its limitations, particularly when operating in shallow conditions. The 550 HP motor on the air-drive vessel will ensure rapid response to anywhere on the river, regardless of conditions. The boat can not only operate in shallow water, but it can actually be launched and operate on dry land to ensure ease of access and a quicker response. The vessel was specially equipped with a double thick polymer lining on the bottom to ensure easy transition over rocks and land.
The GRDA Police will use the air boat primarily for rescues and responses on the Illinois River, but the vessel will also be used for high-water land rescue incidents, since it has the advantage of easy launching from land and improved underwater clearance, with the ability to quickly and safely traverse over any terrain without the fear of damaging a lower unit on a traditional motor.
GRDA Police officers are currently finalizing equipment installation and undergoing training in the operation of the vessel. The new air boat will be put into service on the Illinois River in the near future as we continue our efforts to improve the effectiveness of the emergency services that we provide to the area. The air boat gives police another tool for Illinois River operations and will be used in conjunction with the jet-drive boat, jet-drive kayaks and the Connector Rescue boats that users of the river are accustomed to seeing on the Illinois.
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Management
Meetings
Planned
Your friends at GRDA Police invite the Grand and Hudson Lake Marina Managers and Illinois River Float Operator's for lunch to discuss plans for the 2021 season and to answer questions about future activities at Grand Lake, Lake Hudson and the Illinois River.
Save the date of April 27 for Illinois Float Operator's.
Meet from 11 AM till 1 PM.
Location to be announced.
Save the date of April 29 for Marina Manager's at Grand & Hudson Lakes.
Meet from 11 AM till 1 PM.
Location to be announced.
Additional details will be provided at a later date.
Please click on the link below to let us know as soon as possible if you can attend, who you represent, how many people will be in your group, and include your email and phone number.
We look forward to seeing you!
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A section of the off-road area below the Pensacola Dam has been closed to public access due to nesting Bald Eagles.
The map shows the Eagle Nesting Area that is restricted access.
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Paddlers Reminded to Take Precautions
With recent warmer temperatures, restless paddlers are ready to put canoes and kayaks in the water. Early spring paddling can provide solitude, exercise and an opportunity to see amazing wildlife, but extra precautions are needed to stay safe.
The GRDA Police recommends that paddlers wait for warmer weather to allow the water temperatures to rise slowly. It could be several weeks before water temperatures are ideal and safe as water and air temperatures continue to change.
Air temperatures may feel warm in early spring, but the water is still dangerously cold in the low 50's and can be deadly to boaters. Cold water shock and hypothermia can set in quickly if you are not dressed and fall into the cold water, so dress for a swim.
Stay away from strainers and sweepers—wood or branch piles—deadly hazards that can pull a paddler under or pin them underwater. These are usually found on outside river bends where currents are strongest.
Review these simple safety tips before you head out on the water.
- Check your canoe or kayak for any needed repairs or maintenance after being stored for several months. Look for holes and leaks, make sure all hatch lids fit snug and securely and check your paddle blades for signs of cracking or splitting.
- Wear your lifejacket at all times when underway. Dust off your life jacket and make sure all buckles and zippers work properly and look for holes and tears. Replace the life jacket if it has damage that cannot be repaired. Wear a life jacket at all times while on the water, regardless of your swimming ability. Not only do they help keep your head above water, they help maintain warmth.
- Dress for the water temperature, not the air temperature. Plan as if you were to be in the water at some point because “paddlers are just in between swims.” A wet suit or dry suit is a must. Do not wear cotton clothing—it fails to insulate when wet. Opt for synthetics or wool. Dress in layers so you can peel a layer off if overheated.
- Always bring along a dry bag with a complete set of extra clothes you can change into if you get wet, a first-aid kit and a protected cell phone or weather radio. Get out of wet, cold clothing as soon as possible. Pack plenty of water to stay hydrated.
- Let a friend or loved one know where you are going and when you are expected to return. It will be easier to find you if you need help.
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Officers Find Sinking Vessel
While conducting a routine patrol of the Elk River Marina last night, GRDA Officer Bruce located a vessel that had listed over, partially sunk. Officer Bruce observed a large amount of fuel leaking into the Elk River and contacted the owner, who confirmed that the vessel was full of fuel, approximately 100 gallons.
Officers Bruce and Fields dispatched a boat and containment booms to the site and began to quickly deploy containment booms in an attempt to contain the fuel leaking from the vessel.
Once the booms were deployed, officers used a neutralizing agent in the immediate area in an attempt to dissipate the leaking fuel. GRDA Environmental Compliance Officers arrived on scene and began to assess the situation in order to reduce the impact during containment and recovery.
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SH-28 Closed
at Spillways
All lanes of east and westbound SH-28 are closed at the Spillways for the Pensacola Dam that are located on the east side of Disney. This is part of a $14 million project to improve the three bridges on SH-28 at Grand Lake.
Work on the SH-28/Pensacola Dam bridge was recently completed and is open to traffic, but the two SH-28 bridges at the spillways will be closed to traffic for resurfacing and repairs to the bridge structures.
The official highway detour utilizes SH-82 and SH-20. We anticipate the bridges over the Spillways for the Pensacola Dam to be closed till Memorial Day.
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Ramp Work Delayed
GRDA Hydro and Properties crews continue work to improve two public boat ramps, but the progress has been repeatedly delayed by high water levels in the lake and inclement weather.
Work on the ramp replacements continues at the Duck Creek Public Boat Ramp, and the Cleora Mud Flats public boat ramp behind the GRDA Hangar (north of Red Arrow Marina). The ramps will remained closed until work can be completed.
The projected date the ramps will be open is dependent on the lake levels and weather. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause as we continue to make improvements to our public access areas.
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Join us in Saluting our Brothers & Sisters in Dispatch who Watch Over Us on Each and Every Call.
April 11-17, 2021
National Public Safety
Telecommunicators Week
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Rush for Brush This Saturday!
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Activity Ramps Up
for Busy 2021 Season
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GRDA Police are busy with preparations for another active season with a variety of activities. GRDA Wildlife Management Enforcement Officer Seth Hembree (above left) assists GRDA NEOSHO Bottoms crews with a prescribed burn on GRDA properties in Miami. Officers have also been working on continued training in Swift Water Rescues (above right) in the Lake Francis area of the Illinois River.
GRDA personnel are actively assisting with a number of fishing tournaments on the lakes. Director of NEOSHO Bottoms Aaron Roper (below L-R), Officer Seth Hembree and Recreations Program Coordinator Officer Jason Littlefield collected fish that were caught at a recent MLFLW tournament at Wolf Creek Park in Grove. Over 360 fish were transported in the agency Fishing Tournament Release Trailer to be safely returned to the waters of Grand Lake.
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Normalizing
GRDA Services
As COVID-19 pandemic exposure numbers continue to improve, GRDA moves forward with normalizing services at our facilities. Effective April 1 the majority of our personnel have returned back to work at our facilities, under compliance with state and federal regulations to ensure a safe working environment. While we continue the process of returning to normal work operations, the following conditions will remain in effect:
- All GRDA facilities will remain closed to the public, including the Eco Center in Langley. No public meetings or events will be allowed with strict access control maintained at all GRDA facilities. The Pensacola Dam will not be open for public tours at this time.
- GRDA Police continue to allow permitted public events on GRDA lakes and properties, as long as organized events adhere to health guidelines published by the Oklahoma Department of Health and United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- GRDA Police will continue to participate in public information and education events with some restrictions.
- The GRDA Police Department will continue to follow procedures established by state and federal authorities to protect you and our personnel by maintaining personal distances and limiting personal contacts. This may require that officers conduct more of our investigations by phone and email, prioritizing responses and reducing contacts for minor violations.
- Our personnel may be wearing protective gear, such as masks, glasses and gloves. This is done to protect you and the officers from community spread.
- GRDA officers will be enforcing social distancing requirements. We ask that you continue to abide by protocols and guidelines published by the Oklahoma Department of Health and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
As we return to normalized services, we will continue to maintain contact with you through electronic communication to keep our social distances appropriate. Please continue to invoke the strategies needed to maintain appropriate distances from other people, practice good hygiene and protect your personnel and the public.
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FOCUS on GRDA:
Ecosystems & Watershed Management and
Scenic Rivers Operations
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Water Quality Projects
Heavy Use Coves Monitoring - A Federal Regulatory Commission Project
As a condition of the current hydropower license for Pensacola Dam, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) required a project that began in the summers of 2016-2107 to be continued in 2020. Once again, GRDA will collect water samples to measure the impact, if any, that recreational boating has on water quality. The intent of the project is to determine if human activities in heavy use coves cause negative impacts on water quality. GRDA will strive to determine the impacts on water quality, and if any are identified that rise above the regulatory limits determined by the state of Oklahoma, these impacts would subsequently require GRDA to determine a strategy to mitigate the impacts and protect public health and safety. Over the years GRDA has identified heavy use areas during aerial boat counts and shoreline surveys. The areas that GRDA chose to monitor on Grand Lake included popular local destinations such as Dripping Springs, Summerfield Hollow, Duck Creek, and Woodard Hollow.
With respect to boating use, Woodard Hollow, Dripping Springs, and Summerfield Hollow become very busy on heavy use/holiday weekends. In general, the Independence Day Holiday on Grand Lake is the most popular. On this day in 2016 and 2017, Woodard Hollow held 301 and 322 boats, respectively, along with 152 boats in 2020 on a day with inclement weather. Overall, we found that between the coves there was a significant difference in the amount of boat traffic between holiday and non-holiday weekends which gave us a broad range of use to investigate. However, GRDA did not find any impacts of heavy recreation on water quality. This study is ongoing and will continue into 2021.
303d List Bacteria Project
In the summers of 2019 and 2020 GRDA set out on a project to look at some 303d streams in Northeast Oklahoma. 303d waterbodies are waters that are listed as “impaired” for some parameter, for our study we chose to focus on those waterbodies that are listed for bacteria, more specifically enterococcus. It is well known that bacteria is one of the leading causes of impairment in the United States, however less is known about the sources of these impairments.
We used digital PCR (dPCR) and Microbial Source Tracking (MST) technologies to look for these sources of impairments. MST markers were used to test our streams for fecal DNA from Humans, Cows, Birds, and Pigs. We used GIS to look at land cover and soil types to see if those influence bacterial communities.
Early results show that bacterial communities can be linked to land use and also show the importance of using best management practices that are tailored to your specific streams. BMPs should be site specific and be based on MST results.
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Do You Need Current Lake Information? |
Go to the GRDA Storm Ops web page to get current data including lake levels, lake parameters, storage details, flow conditions and much more.
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Did You Know?
Make sure your boat is prepared for the season. There are many items that need to be checked and rechecked on any boat. Schedule a Vessel Safety Check with GRDA Police or America’s Boating Club – Grand Lake before you hit the water. Every Vessel Safety Check is conducted free of charge.
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"Updates" on the Web
If you didn't receive our latest GRDA Update or you have a friend that wants to see our Updates, go to our website at https://www.grda.com/grda-police/ and click on the GRDA POLICE UPDATE for the latest version of our email release or to Join Our Email List.
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NAV TIME
A Summary of Boating Laws, Navigation Regulations & Tips
That All Boat Operators Should Know
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Displacement Hulls
There are two basic types of boat hulls—displacement and planing.
Boats with displacement hulls move through the water by pushing the water aside and are designed to cut through the water with very little propulsion.
· If you lower a boat into the water, some of the water moves out of the way to adjust for the boat. If you could weigh that displaced water, you would find it equals the weight of the boat. That weight is the boat’s displacement.
· Boats with displacement hulls are limited to slower speeds.
· A round-bottomed hull shape acts as a displacement hull. Most large cruisers and most sailboats have displacement hulls, allowing them to travel more smoothly through the water.
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Boating Tips From
Americas Boating Club
Grand Lake
Sound producing devices are required by law to be on your boat. This may be a horn or whistle. For small boats and personal watercraft, a plastic whistle is the simplest way to satisfy the requirement. The use of sound signals provides information to other boats about your intended maneuver.
One short blast (one second duration) indicates altering course to starboard when meeting or crossing, leaving the other vessel to your port side.
Two short blasts (one second duration repeated twice) indicates altering the course to port when meeting or crossing, leaving the other vessel to your starboard side.
The danger signal is five short blasts (one second duration repeated five times). This signal may be used to alert an inattentive boater of the danger of collision or perhaps of an obstacle they can’t see if they choose to alter their course as they have indicated.
Are you interested in joining a boating club on Grand Lake to have fun, plus the opportunity to take courses online or in the classroom to improve your boating skills and knowledge? Visit online americasboatingclub.org or usps.org/grandlake, on Facebook: America’s boating club-grand lake for more information.
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2021
Special Events Schedule
April 17: Rush for Brush, Wolf Creek Park, Grove
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Do you have a Special Event Planned?
PLEASE let us know about your lake or river events so we can provide the resources you may need to make it a positive experience!
If you have a special event you would like for us to help you promote,
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GRDA Police Dispatch 918-256-0911
GRDA Ecosystems and Education Center 918-782-4726
GRDA Lake Permits 918-256-0852
GRDA Pensacola Dam Tours & Facility Information 918-256-0899
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